Water Cube

The mist gradually filled the seafood shop. The fish and shrimp in the tanks grew restless, swimming frantically in the water, sensing the approaching danger.

Soon, the mist surged, and the anomaly appeared.

Countless small black dots rained down from the mist.

Some fell onto the shop floor, while others dropped directly into the fish tanks.

The black dots on the ground bounced slightly from the impact, wriggling ceaselessly.

Those that fell into the fish tanks took to the water like ducks, immediately frolicking within.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that these small black dots were only round in the front, with a little tail at the back.

The black dots were countless tadpoles.

Each individual tadpole was very small, much smaller than the fish, but incredibly fast.

They discovered the fish in the water.

A terrifying thing happened.

One tadpole after another actively drilled into the mouths of the fish. Some allowed themselves to be pierced by the fish's teeth, while others swiftly slid straight into their stomachs.

Once inside the fish's stomachs, they opened their tiny mouths, using their cold, gleaming little teeth to devour the fish's internal organs.

Quickly, a fish was eaten clean from the inside out, leaving behind only an incredibly bare skeleton. Not even the scales or eyes remained.

The fish and shrimp in the seafood shop were disappearing at an astonishing rate.

Smack.

The door to the back restroom was violently pushed open.

Boss Zhang of the fish shop was in his usual attire: a rubber coat, galoshes, and a waterproof hood, covering himself up tightly.

However, tonight he wasn't wearing his mask, and his mouth was covered in blood.

He had been in the back, holding a large fish and feasting on it, so engrossed in his meal that he forgot the arrival of the Sunless Day.

Pushing open the door, he discovered that his food was almost completely devoured.

Boss Zhang's eyes turned red with fury.

Tadpoles, damn it!

He grabbed a wooden plank and strode to the center of the shop, stomping heavily along the way, deliberately crushing the thrashing tadpoles on the ground into mush.

Then, he threw the plank onto the floor, pinning down a large swath of tadpoles, and jumped on it.

Boss Zhang's killing spree made a lot of noise, and the tadpoles quickly noticed this new life form.

The tadpoles that had eaten all the fish and shrimp leapt out of the water and off the ground, slowly forming a pitch-black humanoid figure without facial features, a humanoid made entirely of countless writhing tadpoles.

Delicious, eat, eat! the tadpole man emitted a stuttering sound and lunged at Boss Zhang.

It was met with a hard wooden plank.

You ate my fish, so I'll eat you.

Compared to the tadpole man, Boss Zhang looked more like an anomaly at this moment.

Countless tadpoles struck him like raindrops. It looked intimidating, but they were soft and weak, unable to penetrate Boss Zhang's waterproof suit made of special materials.

Some tadpoles also slipped into his clothes through the gaps in his hood, but whatever the condition of Boss Zhang's body underneath, the tadpoles that got in vanished without a trace, and he seemed completely unharmed.

Realizing its attacks were ineffective, the tadpole man suddenly collapsed, breaking down into pieces again, and showed signs of moving out of the shop, seemingly ready to give up on Boss Zhang, a tough nut to crack.

Trying to run away already? Boss Zhang swung his wooden plank, killing dozens of tadpoles with every strike.

However, there were simply too many tadpoles everywhere. Logically, he could never kill them all.

Seeing that the main army of tadpoles was about to leave the shop doors.

Bloodshot veins appeared in Boss Zhang's eyes as he roared madly: Water Cube!

All the water tanks in the shop exploded, and water instantly shot down.

Puddles formed on the ground, and soon, the water submerged his ankles at a visible speed.

The water level continued to rise, washing over Boss Zhang's feet, half his body, and over his head, directly filling the entire seafood shop.

The water in the tanks definitely wasn't enough to flood the whole shop. That water was merely a catalyst; what truly generated the water was Boss Zhang's Mystery.

The seafood shop being filled with water was only the beginning.

Using the seafood shop as a base, a rectangular Water Cube with a continuously rising water level was climbing upward.

The Water Cube was a transparent block formed by water defying gravity.

The Water Cube used the shop's front door as a boundary. Its outer edges were as flat as if cut by a knife, without a single drop of water spilling outward.

The tadpoles were trapped inside the Water Cube, swimming around with the current and scattering to almost every part of the water.

The second floor, directly above the seafood shop.

This was the home of a wealthy young man.

This happened to be his bedroom.

The Water Cube ignored the barrier of the terrain, as if the floor between the two stories didn't exist.

Water rose from the floor, submerging the foot of the bed and soaking the blanket.

The wealthy man was awakened by the chill.

What's going on?

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Boss Zhang's water itself was not toxic, but right now, there were many black dots in it.

Just like how they dealt with the fish, the tadpoles shot through the water at extreme speeds, rushing into the wealthy man's nostrils, mouth, and ears.

Ah! A heart-wrenching scream rang out.

The screams echoed in the second-floor room for a full half-minute.

On the first floor, Boss Zhang knew what was happening, but he didn't care. Soaking in the water, he opened his large mouth.

A powerful suction force generated from his mouth, pulling nearby tadpoles into it. The tadpoles hurriedly swam away from him.

It could only be said that everything in this world has its natural predator. The tadpoles could enjoy a full meal by entering other creatures' bodies, but entering Boss Zhang's mouth made them a delicious feast.

The screams from the second floor awakened the residents on the third floor.

In this room on the third floor lived Mr. Jin and Mrs. Jin.

Their child, Xiao Jin, lived in another room.

The water level was still rising, appearing on the floor of the third-floor room.

Water, water is rising from the floor! Mrs. Jin noticed the anomaly.

Mr. Jin's face turned pale: How is this possible? Is this an anomaly? How did an anomaly get in!

I do not know, it seems to be coming up from the second floor. The screams downstairs just now must have been because of this.

Damn it, what kind of anomaly did the second floor provoke? I've never heard of one entering a house like this.

Why don't we escape right now? Mrs. Jin was frightened out of her wits.

Escape! We have to be fast. In a moment, I'll throw the quilt on the floor, you step on it and get out the door quickly. Stay calm, and try not to touch the water. I feel like there's something wrong with it.

Okay, okay.

Mrs. Jin folded the quilt into a block and handed it to Mr. Jin.

Hurry, the water level is still rising. Soon the quilt won't be thick enough. Hurry up, why aren't you moving?

Mr. Jin stopped right before throwing the quilt.

I remember a family lives downstairs, right? Mr. Jin worked in out-of-city transportation, so he had heard a lot and had even come into contact with anomalies. Once he calmed down, he began to analyze the situation.

Yeah, the wealthy young man downstairs lives with his parents.

Just now, we only heard his scream, right?

Right. Look at the time, what are you trying to say!

Mr. Jin looked serious: There are three people in the household on the second floor, yet only the person directly beneath our room screamed. Do you think it's possible his parents are fine?

What do you mean?

Mr. Jin: I am guessing the attack range of this anomaly is vertically upward. Based on this theory, if we do not open the door, we die. If we open the door and let the water out, Xiao Jin will be in danger too.

Ah! Are you sure?!

How could anyone be sure? But we cannot just sit here and wait to die based on a guess. Let us do this: once you get out, shut the door immediately.

Okay.

I will count to three. One, two, three! Mr. Jin threw the blanket out.

The water level in the room was still under ten centimeters. The bed was not far from the door, and it would take a few seconds for the blanket to get completely soaked.

Mrs. Jin pushed past her limits. Despite years of avoiding exercise, she leaped onto the blanket with surprising speed and accuracy. Using her forward momentum, she pulled open the bedroom door and took a large stride out.

I am out! Ah! You were right, not a single drop of water has flowed out of the bedroom. Even without closing the door, the water is not coming out! Hurry and come out too.

I... I cannot get out. Mr. Jin smiled bitterly. Even now, he was not standing on the bed; he was still in a half-lying position.

Mrs. Jin had been in such a panic that she had forgotten until this very moment: her husband's motorcade business had been completely wiped out by an anomaly, leaving him bankrupt and drowning in debt, with the families of his deceased employees demanding he pay with his life.

Since yesterday, Mr. Jin had fallen ill and lost all ability to move.

He was heavy and practically paralyzed; it took Mrs. Jin a long time just to help him to the bathroom.

You...

Close the door. Take good care of Xiao Jin from now on.

How could I do that?!

I am so tired anyway. It is about time I went down to keep my brothers from the motorcade company.

No!

Wading directly into the water, Mrs. Jin charged back into the room.